facebook-pixel

Longtime Jazz athletic trainer Don ‘Magic Fingers’ Sparks dies at 90

(Tribune file photo) Longtime Jazz trainer Don Sparks is seen with Hot Rod Hundley in this 1986 photo. Sparks died June 2 at the age of 90.

(Tribune file photo) Longtime Jazz trainer Don Sparks is seen with Hot Rod Hundley in this 1986 photo. Sparks died June 2 at the age of 90.

Don Sparks, the Jazz franchise’s first athletic trainer who held the position for 20 years, died at 90 years old of causes related to advanced age.

Sparks, known within the organization as “Sparky” (and to fans as “Magic Fingers,” thanks a nickname bestowed by longtime broadcaster Rod Hundley for his apparent ability to get injured players healthy quickly), died June 2.

He joined the New Orleans Jazz in 1974 and, according to the Jazz, worked all 1,886 games the team played over the next two decades — 151 preseason games, 1,640 regular-season games, and 95 playoff games. He was named the NBA’s “Trainer of the Year” in 1984, and was selected as the Western Conference All-Star team’s trainer on three occasions.

Sparks is survived by his wife, Joyce.

Support free news for Utah

sltrib.com is now free to access — no subscription required. We made this decision because we believe access to trustworthy, independent news shouldn’t depend on what you can afford — especially as misinformation and AI-generated content continue to rise.

Free to read doesn’t mean free to produce. Our reporters show up every day to ask hard questions and hold powerful institutions to account. That work takes resources. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on support from people who believe it matters. Make a donation today to fund local news that serves Utah communities.

You can help us bring more local news to more communities today.